“I don’t understand.” What protection? From whom? Keri’s thoughts ran rampant like a freshly caught mustang trying to escape a paddock.
Her mother closed her eyes. “Are you going to make me say it out loud? I’ve tried so hard to put the past behind me.”
“Just like you did me?”
Grace stood and crossed the small room. “No, darling. You’re the only good thing in my life.”
Keri backed up, bumping into Brooks. He touched the small of her back, and she deeply appreciated his touch and comfort.
Grace reached out a shaky hand and touched Keri’s. She flinched but didn’t pull away.
“I sent you away, darling, so that you didn’t end up living a life like mine.”
“And what kind of life was that, Mother?”
Her mother’s eyes widened with incredulity. “You really don’t know.”
Keri shook her head.
Grace’s eyes blurred and tears ran down her cheeks. “I—I …” She glanced up at Brooks then back to Keri. “I’m sorry, dear, but I lived in a bordello—a brothel. I was a prostitute.”
Keri gasped and fell back against Brooks. She lifted her hand to her mouth. “C—can’t breath.” She turned and grappled with her collar, her face pale. “Out! Gotta get out.”
Keri flung the door open so hard that it banged against the wall and rattled the windows. Brooks rushed outside, but paused on the boardwalk. Keri needed some time for things to soak in, and her mother could probably use some encouraging words, though her news shocked even him. Keri climbed onto the wagon bench, snatched up the reins, and released the brake. She slapped the reins on the horse’s back and they lurched forward. They trotted down the street then broke into a gallop as they cleared the edge of town. He turned back into the marshal’s office. Guess he’d be renting a horse to get back home.
Grace Langston sat in Marshal Lane’s chair again, her face etched in despair, but she wasn’t crying. Her nostrils flared—the only other indication of the struggle going on inside her. The wooden wall behind her was papered in WANTED posters of hard men with hard expressions, but none of them equaled Keri’s mother’s expression.
“I never should have come here. I just—”
He hated awkward situations like these, but the woman needed some comforting. He squatted down in front of her, resting his backside on his boot heels. Reaching out, he laid his hand over hers and cleared his throat. “I think it’s a good thing you came.”
Her gaze darted up, a speck of hope brightening her despondent expression. “Why would you say that? And just who are you?”
He smiled and stood, then leaned back against the desk. “My name is Brooks Morgan. I’m the owner of Raven Creek Ranch, and I said that because I think Keri needs you.”
Grace shook her head. “She’ll never accept me. You saw her reaction. And how did you happen to become the ranch’s owner?”
“It’s a bit of a long story.”
She held out her hands, and the corner of her lips turned up in a weak smile. “What else have I got to do?”
Brooks snagged the other chair, flipped it around backwards, and set it several feet from hers. He told her the story about the hail and meeting Will and how they became friends and how he won the ranch in the card game. “And that’s about it.”
She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I don’t buy it, Mr. Morgan. If Will was anything, he was a planner. He would have wanted the ranch to go to Keri. It’s the only real home she’s ever known.”
“Maybe she remembers more than she let on.”
Shaking her head, she reached down and picked up her satchel and set it on her lap, her grasp tight on the handle. “I’ve ruined Keri’s life. I shouldn’t have come.”
“No. I think you did the very thing you set out to do—you saved her. She just hasn’t figured that out yet.” Brooks smiled. “But she will. She’s smart and tenacious and one of the best shots I’ve ever seen.”
Grace lifted one brow. “And just what is your role in Keri’s life, Mr. Morgan?”
In his effort to comfort the woman, he realized he might have just shown his cards to her. “Uh … I’d guess you’d say I’m her landlord.”
“She still lives at the ranch?”
“Yep.” He stood, flipped the chair around and set it against the wall. “How did you find out about Will’s death? If I’d known about you, I’d have let you know so you could have come to the funeral.”
She stood. “I received a telegram informing me of Will’s demise.”
He reached for her satchel. “Let me get that, ma’am. We’d best get headed home so we beat the sunset.”
She blinked and stared up at him. “I don’t understand.”
“Will’s room is empty. There’s no point for you to stay in town when we’ve got an empty room.”
“We?”
He grinned. “Yeah, Keri and me.”
That brow lifted again. “Just what is your interest in my daughter, sir?”
Marshal Lane peeked in, saving Brooks from making a quick evaluation of his relationship with Keri. “Is it safe to come back now?”
“Yep, it’s all yours. Thanks for letting us use your office, Marshal.”
Brooks offered his arm to Keri’s mother and slowed his pace for her shorter gait.
“Don’t think this conversation is over, Mr. Morgan, but I’ll let it go, because I so appreciate your kindness and help in understanding Keri. I’m just not sure that my going to the ranch is the right thing.”
“Keri needs someone to love her—someone who isn’t going to leave her.”
“I can’t promise that—no one can. And besides, unless my guess is wrong, she already has someone there who loves her.”
Ignoring her comment, Brooks escorted Keri’s mother to the livery, where he rented a buggy. He lifted her up to the seat, still wondering if she meant Nate and Jess loved Keri or if she was referring to him. The buggy creaked and dipped as he climbed aboard. “Do you have a trunk at the station?”
“No, this is all. There’s nothing from my former life that I care to have except for my daughter.”
Brooks guided the horses out of town. The thing that pestered him was why Grace hadn’t just left her career and come to the ranch with Keri. Maybe one day he’d know her well enough to ask, but that wasn’t today.
Grace was—or had been—the kind of woman his mother had warned him to stay away from. And he had, though at times he’d been sorely tempted to seek out a woman’s comfort, but those Scriptures she’d read to him as he grew older—verses about wayward women—must have found root in his soul. He couldn’t imagine what would drive a woman to live as a prostitute. He’d heard there was good money in it, but the price was too high. A shudder sent a cold chill through him to think Keri could have endured what her mother did, if not for Grace’s selfless sacrifice.
“Is Nate still at the ranch? And Jess? Or did you bring in your own crew?”
“They’re still there. Don’t know what I’d do without them.”
They rode along in silence for several miles, and Brooks watched the colors of the setting sun saturate the sky. Pink. Orange.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“I never tire of watching it. God was good to give us such things to enjoy.”
She peered at him from under her hat. “So, you’re a God-fearing man then?”
Noose-fearing might be closer to the truth, but he nodded. “I’m getting to be one. I’ve drifted for a long while, but I think I’m finally reaching the end of the trail.”
“That’s good. Everyone needs something—or Someone to believe in.”
He wondered what she believed in. Had the hope of one day seeing her daughter again been the thing that kept her going all these years?
What would Keri say when she discovered he’d brought Grace home? He chuckled. Good thing he owned the ranch, or he’d probably be fired.
“I can’t thank you enough Mr. Morgan�
�for thinking that a woman like me could be good for Keri.”
He looked at her. “God is all about second chances. I’m finding that out more and more. I ran away from home when I was sixteen, and I can’t tell you how many times I was sorry for that.”
“Did you ever go back?”
He shook his head. “No. So I know a bit what it’s like to lose my parents. Keri’s a beautiful, capable woman, but in many ways, she’s just a lost, lonely girl. I hope you can stay for a while, because having you around will be the best thing for her—short of her giving her heart to God.”
“I know a woman who talks about God like you do. She’s a good, kind woman—Emma Perkins. She took me in several years ago when I got … um … with child again.” She looked away and stared out at the countryside. “I was terribly ill from the very beginning. I lost the baby and nearly lost my life. It was an eye-opener for me. I quit the brothel and stayed with Emma, and tried to change my life, but there was always one thing left undone.”
“And now you have the chance to make amends.” He pointed up at the new sign. “Raven Creek. We’re home.”
“Home. I like the sound of that, and I sure hope my daughter doesn’t cast me out as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.”
“She can’t. I own this ranch, and you’re my guest.”
Grace’s smile was wide, and Brooks caught a hint of the pretty woman she must have been at one time. He glanced at the house up ahead. Smoke rose from the kitchen chimney, so that meant someone was cooking dinner. His stomach growled, but he tried not to get too over eager. Once Keri saw his passenger, he was more than likely to get sent to the bunkhouse without any supper.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Brooks squirted the last of the milk from the cow’s teats and stood. He bent backwards, stretching out the kinks from being hunched over for so long. He rolled his shoulders and noticed Nate standing at the barn door, staring out. Nate wasn’t one to lollygag, and that piqued his interest. He grabbed the pail and walked over to stand beside him.
“Nice day, isn’t it?” The day was like most early summer days—warm and sunny, not a sign of rain.
“Uh-huh.” Nate looked to be staring at the house.
“Bacon sure smells good. I’m ready to go eat. How about you?”
Nate grunted. It wasn’t like him to not perk up at the mention of food. He was definitely out of sorts for some reason.
“Looks like we’ll get a gully washer today. We can sure use the rain.”
“Uh-huh.” He blinked several times then turned toward Brooks. “What?”
“Fess up. What’s on your mind?”
Nate finally looked fully at him. “How long is Grace gonna stay here?”
Ah, so that’s what was bothering him. Brooks had kept his attention on Keri last night at supper. After he’d carried Grace’s satchel upstairs, Keri had lambasted him for bringing her ma home. Well, he’d expected that. Suddenly it dawned on him that Nate had referred to Keri’s ma by her first name. “You know her?”
“A long time ago. Before she … went away.”
Brooks searched his mind. Something didn’t fit. “I thought you started working at Raven Creek after Will came back with Keri in tow.”
Nate rubbed the back of his neck. “I was raised near here and worked for Will when he and Grace first moved here. Was still in my teens. After Grace left, I did too for a time. Joined the army, but I came back once I was done with my roving years.”
“I certainly can’t fault you for wanting to see more of the country. Until I came here, I drifted for ten years. Didn’t mind it so much at first, but I have to say it feels good to settle down.” Brooks clapped Nate on the shoulder. “I may own this place now, but you have the years invested. I hope you know you’re welcome here for as long as you want to stay.”
Nate stared into his eyes for a moment then nodded. “Gimme that bucket. I’ll carry it up to the house.”
He couldn’t help noticing the red that had crept up Nate’s neck. The man wasn’t much for talking about himself. He strode to the well and saw Jess in the paddock and whistled at him. Shaking off the wash water, he smiled. Life at Raven Creek sure had gotten interesting the past twelve hours.
Keri rubbed her gritty eyes and stretched as sleepiness ebbed away. The sun shone bright, and the delicious aroma of bacon cooking wafted through the open window. She bolted upright. Someone was cooking, and that was her job. She threw off the covers and her nightgown and quickly dressed in a tan shirt and her trousers. After wearing the split skirt, they felt uncomfortably tight.
She ran the brush through her long hair for a couple of strokes, then tied it back with a ribbon. Looking in the mirror, she saw that one side of her cheek was red where she had been lying on one of her hands, but there was nothing to do about that.
She hadn’t slept much last night after she moved in and Keri had an argument with Brooks. He told her that she was his guest for as long as she wanted to stay. Keri no longer had a say in her own home. Carl’s offer of marriage was looking better and better.
In the kitchen doorway, Keri paused. Her mother stood at the stove looking like a regular mother, dressed in the apron her uncle wore when he had cooked. And her mother didn’t looked disheveled like she did, but perfectly put together in a pale blue calico with tiny pink-and-red flowers and splashes of white and green. Her hair was braided and pinned in a tight coil at the base of her neck. She looked just like her dreams of a real mother would.
Keri didn’t know what to do or what to say to her. She didn’t want her there and yet the thought that she might leave frightened her half to death. Last night she’d tossed and turned, cried and railed at Brooks in her dreams for bringing her here. What was she going to do? She blew out a loud sigh.
Her mother turned, spatula lifted in midair, her uncertainty obvious. “I hope you don’t mind that I started breakfast.”
Keri gave a quick shake of her head and headed for the pantry to grab a cup. She poured some coffee and sipped the hot brew. A cup of Arbuckle’s always helped wake her up. She poured her second cup, then set the table and sliced the loaf of bread her mother had baked.
Her mother tapped the spatula on the side of the skillet. “I know this is awkward, but I hope you’ll give me a chance. I so want to get to know you better.”
“All my memories make sense now—the women in frilly dresses, the big house, the monsters that came out at night …”
Grace laid a hand to her chest. “You remember all that?”
Keri nodded and set the butter bowl on the table. “I remember having to stay hidden away at night, too.”
Grace sucked in a deep breath and turned around. “I should have sent you to Will sooner, but parting with you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Gripping the back of the chair, Keri thought about all the hard things her mother must have been called upon to do as a lady of the night. What a horrible, miserable life that surely was. No wonder her mother had sent her away. For the first time, she fully understood her mother’s sacrifice and how she had protected her. “When Uncle Will came and got me, why didn’t you leave and come too?”
Grace turned and walked over to her but didn’t touch her. “I wanted to, oh so badly.” She ducked her head and twisted the towel she held. “But that’s a hard life to leave.”
Her response horrified Keri. “Surely you don’t mean you enjoyed that kind of life?”
“No. But I’d made commitments that were not easy to get out of.”
Keri shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
Her mother reached out and cradled Keri’s cheek in one hand. “And I’m ever so grateful that you don’t. I just hope you can forgive me one day.”
The back door banged and they jumped apart, both staring at Nate. His cheeks grew red as he obviously realized he’d interrupted something. “Uh, sorry. I brought the milk.” His gaze flitted between Grace and the floor, his neck, ears, and cheeks turning bright red.
Ker
i had never seen the man so flustered before. Could it be he was attracted to her mother? The spark of an idea ignited in her mind. If her mother were to fall in love with Nate, maybe she’d never leave.
After the noon meal had been cleaned up, Grace went upstairs to rest, still weary from her travels. Keri trotted Bob toward the windmill, glad to be out of the house for a while. Jester stood near the tower, his head down, and a movement high above snagged her attention. What was Brooks doing up there now that the tower was done?
She sat there watching, and soon he began to climb down. Keri didn’t like the uncomfortable thoughts swirling through her. What if he fell? No one was even around to ride for help, providing the fall didn’t kill him. She didn’t want to like the confounding man, but she did—more and more. Brooks jumped down the last few feet, then walked toward her, pulling off his leather gloves and grinning.
“Well, now that’s the prettiest thing I’ve seen since lunch.”
She ducked her head, fighting a smile. The man was the biggest charmer she’d ever seen.
“What brings you out here? Everything all right back at the house?”
“Grace is resting, so I thought I’d take a ride.”
“How about a short walk? I want to go down to the pond.”
“All right.” He held Bob’s head while she dismounted, then they followed the water trail downhill. “It looks higher than the other day.”
“It is. That’s why I was up on the tower. I set it so the fan wouldn’t spin. Don’t want to use the underground water if we don’t need it.”
She glanced at his profile. His face was tan from working in the sun, and his thick lashes would make any woman jealous. Brooks Morgan was a handsome man—if a person could get past all that grinning. “I don’t think you should be up there alone. What if you fell?”
He turned, a wide smile creasing his cheeks. “Afraid there’d be no one to catch me?”
“No.”
He chuckled, and she nudged him in the side. “Don’t laugh at me.”
“I’m not.”
End of the Trail Page 14
